This blog supplements ETAN's website (etan.org) and listservs. It includes news and comment on justice, human rights, democracy, security, foreign affairs, U.S policy, the environment, and other issues related to the two countries. ETAN supports justice, accountability, human rights and democracy and is non-partisan.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

ETAN is disgusted to learn that while Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was in Jakarta, he announced that U.S. will for the first time since 1998 provide training for Indonesia's notorious Kopassus special forces. This can only undermine reform and violate the Leahy Law, which prohibits military assistance to units with unresolved human rights violations. Kopassus has failed to reform and officers accused of the human rights crimes continue to serve with unit. While Gates spoke of future changes, he did not mention accountability for past human rights crimes. While Gates met with Indonesia's Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, news and other reports do not say whether or not Gates met with his deputy, former Kopassus;General Sjafrie Sjamsuddin, who has been barred from travel to the U.S. because of his history of human rights violations.

Training Kopassus will set back efforts to achieve accountability for past and recent human rights violations and will do little or nothing to discourage future crimes."

As we were learning about the Gates announcement, I was tracking down photos of torture during Indonesia's illegal occupation of East Timor (Timor-Leste) for an author with a book coming out soon. While the exact circumstances of the photos I was looking at are not known (they were taken by TNI soldiers and then bought or taken by the resistance), I have no doubt that Kopassus soldiers were involved in these or similar rights violations. None of these soldiers have been brought to justice for these and other human rights crimes.

In his statement after bringing the news to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Gates said

I was pleased to be able to tell the president that as a result of Indonesian military reforms over the past decade... the United States will begin a gradual, limited program of security cooperation activities with the Indonesian Army Special Forces.

I noted to the president that these initial steps will take place within the limits of U.S. law and do not signal any lessening of the importance we place on human rights and accountability. What's more, our ability to expand upon these initial steps will depend upon continued implementation of reforms within Kopassus and TNI as a whole.'

However, there is no evidence that international assistance has ever improved the behavior of the Indonesian military. Just ask the hundreds of thousands people and their relatives, who were killed, tortured, disappeared, and raped in East Timor, Aceh, West Papua and elsewhere while the U.S. was most engaged with Indonesia's security forces.

Poengky Indarti from Imparsial told Reuters,

We regret this development very much. Until now, the perpetrators of past human rights abuses in East Timor, Aceh and Papua are still free. There is still impunity in the Indonesian military, especially in Kopassus."

She added "We are confused about the position of Barack Obama. Is he pro-human rights or not?"

Join ETAN!

Support ETAN

Support ETAN!

With your help, we can put ETAN on a firmer footing for the future. Please give generously in this anniversary year. In doing so, you can help strengthen ETAN to meet the challenges of the coming years. - Noam Chomsky

Please contribute today! Your support is crucial. Help ETAN continue our important work.

About this Blog and ETAN

This blog supplements ETAN's website and the listservs of the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network (ETAN). The blog includes news and comment on justice, human rights, democracy, security, foreign affairs, U.S policy, the environment, and other issues related to the two countries.

ETAN supports justice, accountability, human rights and democracy in both countries. ETAN is non-partisan; we do not endorse candidates or political parties in any country.

Please keep your comments directly related to East Timor and Indonesia and refrain from abusive language and personal attacks. Email us or use the contact information below.